Shoe buckle connecting means



May 12, 1931. HELP-ANT 1,805,398

SHOE BUCKLE CONNECTING MEANS Filed Nov. 1. 1929 wn'nass ATTORNEV Patented 'May 12, 1931 HENRY iiELrAN'r, or Anvii nnn, E YORK srron fnrrcxrn @micma mt-s Applieation filed November 1, i929. Serial n. 404,129.

This invention relates to improvements in means for attachingbuckles to shoes, and its leading object is to providea simple connector to enable any shoe clerk to attach a buckle to a ladys shoe, and to enablethe wearer to change buckles, when so desired.

One of the other objects of the invention is the provision of a simple coupling to secure a buckle to the shoe, by means of a snap button connection. I

Another object of the invention is to provide coupling of this character, which will be comfortable on the foot of the wearer.

Otherobjects and advantages of the invention will be hereinafter specifically pointed out, or will become apparent, as the specification proceeds. V

With the above indicated objects in view,

the invention resides in: certain novel con structions and combinations andarrangement of parts, clearly described in the fol-' lowing specification and fully illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which latter show embodiments vof the invention as at present preferred.

In the drawings s V Fig. 1 is a view in perspective showing a shoe provided with a shoe buckle held in place by the improved coupling means.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation on an enlarged scale of a shoe, partly-broken away, showing the shoe buckle and connector in section( Fig. 3 is a detail rear elevation. of the coupling device, in its partly 'coupled position on the bar of a shoe buckle, on an en,-

larged scale.

Fig. 4 is a similar view showing the socket member of a snap-button coupled thereto.

Fig. 5 is a rear elevation of the buckle, showing its holding bar. I V i f Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view of a stud. Referring to the drawings in detail 5 designates a ladys shoe and 6 an ornamental buckle, designed to be worn-over the vamp of the shoe. This shoe may be of any pattern or type, and the buckle may be of any standard construction.

The buckle is, however, provided with a' bar 7 rigidly attached to the back thereof,

and which is'made of a thinand relatively narrow metal strip. Afabric orsoft leather facing strip orla-yer S isplaced against the rear face of the buckle, and for this purpose said strip 8 is formed witha longitudinally coupled.

slittedyportionBa in which the bar 7 is This'construction is standard. Shoe clerks at the present time attach the buckles to shoes by stitching .or other. means, and as a considerable volume of shoe. sales arecmade during rushhours, and women customers -want their shoes deliveredwith buckles attached, without delay, this practice inevitably interferes withshoe sales and deliveries,

, leather, but maybe obviously.v constructed of other materials; This; yoke is die cut to provide a right wing 10and a left wing 11, and a connectingbarl2- :Thewings 10 and 11 are substantially circular in shape, and are spaced .apart'from each other'bythe connectingfportionzorxbar .12 so that the inner edges 10 and 11 of said wings will be relatively' close to'eachother being separated from contact a'distance less than the width of the holdingbar 7 of the shoe buckle. In

order that the wings 10 and 11 will fit neatly againsttherear side of the. buckle bar 7, and in overlapping relation; to each other, a curvedslot 13 is'formedin said yoke9,,which is suflficiently wide to snugly receive the holding bar? ,of the shoe buckle.[

, Each gof the wings is formed with a circular opening a or hole 14 and with radial slits 15 formed in the marginal edgeof said open ing or hole. This provides an opening having an edge which can be easily fitted to the '1 body of'a female or socket button member, 3516.- I g, V e V This button socket membr'is of well known i I or standard construction and has a socket 1611 which isfsecured inia finishing head 16?),

so as to provide an [encircling groove between the'flanged end of the socket and the marginal edge of the head. J One of thewings of the yoke is' forced over this buttoninembe'r, so. that the split marginal edge portion of the opening thereof will enter the encircling groove 160 of the button socket member. The other Wing is then forced over the button in a similar manner, so that the button socket member will be coupled to the holding bar of the buckle in the manner shown in Fig. 4. In this manner an ordinary shoe clerk, without tools, may attach a snap button member to a shoe buckle.

In order to attach the shoe buckle, thus equipped with one of the members of a snap button set, to a shoe, a snap button stud is secured to the shoe. This stud is preferably made up of a front element 17a, which snaps into the socket of the snap button socket member, and an anchoring element 17b, which consists of a head and a central prong 17 cwhichis adapted to pierce the leathor or material of the shoe so that the front element 17a may be forced thereon by hand pressure, and thus rigidly connected to the shoe.

The male stud button element remains permanently attached to the shoe; The only part of this stud element which is attached to the inside face of the shoe leather is the very 3 thin head flange of the inner or anchoring element 17 b, which is snugly secured against the leather, so that the latter is compressed thereby, leaving the inner face of the head flange of said anchoring element 17b substantially flush with the inner face of the leather;

With the male stud snap button element attached to the shoe the clerk merely has to snap the snap button socket member on the male stud element, and the buckle is thus quickly and firmly attached to the shoe without causing any discomfort to the wearer of the shoe, and providing a stable support for the buckle.

- The wearer ma have a series of different- I 1y fashioned shoe uckles, each equipped with my improved coupling, and may readily detach any buckle from her shoe and attach a different buckle thereto.

The hereinbefore described construction admits of considerable modification without departing from the invention, therefore, I do not wish to be limited to the precise arrangements shown and described, which are, as aforesaid, by way of illustration merely. In other words, the scope of protection contemplated is to be taken solely from the appended claims, interpreted as broadly as is consistent with the prior art.

I claim as new nature.

HENRY HELFANT.

1., The combination with a shoe buckle having a bar attached to its rear side, of a connector yoke having wings disposed in overlapping relation to each other around said bar, and a snap button element havin mte'rfitting relation Wlth the wings to hol saidyoke coupled to said-bar, saidwings hav 

